Biochar Reduced Cadmium Uptake and Enhanced Wheat Productivity in Alkaline Contaminated Soil

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal present in the environment which causes severe environmental, nutritional, and ecological losses. A pot incubation study was conducted to assess the role of biochar derived from various organic feedstock's [poultry manure (PM), farmyard manure (FYM) and sugarcane press mud (PS)] and dosages (0, 2.5 and 5 g kg^-1 soil of each) to immobilize Cd (5 mg kg^-1) in Cd polluted soil. Moreover, impact of applied biochar to reduce the bioavailability of Cd in wheat tissues and to improve wheat growth and yield was also observed. Among all type of applied biochar, application of farmyard manure (FYM) derived biochar improved tillers population (77%), chlorophyll SPAD value (74%), plant height (69), grains yield (77%) and biological yield (82%) of wheat. Moreover, FYM derived biochar lowered the Cd uptake and its translocation from roots (71-92%) shoots (82-92%), and grains (90-96%) as compared with control. While in Cd-contaminated soil without biochar application, the Cd concentration in roots, shoots and grains were 1.4, 1.14 and 0.9 mg kg^-1of dry matter, respectively. Overall, FYM derived biochar, applied at 5 g kg^-1 of soil performed better in reducing the Cd toxicities in soil (0.12 mg kg^-1) and wheat roots (0.13 mg kg^-1), shoots (0.1 mg kg^-1) and grains (0.03 mg kg^-1) along with higher wheat yield in Cd polluted soil. In conclusion, FYM derived biochar has the potential to remediate Cd toxicities in alkaline polluted soil.